ACROSS THE CONTINENT. SOUTH TO NORTH. I

+Source.+--Papers relating to the Burke and Wills Exploring Expedition,
1861. Published in the _Argus_, pp. 2-5, 19-20

In the year 1860 an expedition was planned to travel from Melbourne
to the Gulf of Carpentaria. The leader was Robert Burke, and though
with Wills, Gray, and King he reached the Gulf, the return was
fatal owing to the desertion of the Cooper's Creek Depot by the
other members of the expedition.


In the course of his evidence before the Commission of Inquiry Mr. King,
the sole survivor, said:

The day before we arrived at Cooper's Creek we were allowed to consume
as much provisions as we chose, in expectations of finding supplies so
soon. We had only one pound of dry meat when we got there. If we had
found no provisions there, we should all have died. It was as much as
any of us could do to travel along the side of the creek. We had been so
weak, that for ten days before, we had scarcely been able to make much
distance, or to walk about. I seemed to be worse than either Mr. Burke
or Mr. Wills, but after we arrived at the Depot I improved much more
than they did. We had no difficulty in finding the provisions there. We
arrived in the moonlight at half-past seven o'clock at night, after
having pushed on thirty miles that day. Mr. Burke rode on one of the
camels, and I and Mr. Wills on the other. We had our revolvers with us,
and had been continually shooting at the crows and hawks. When we got to
the Depot Mr. Burke was a little ahead of Mr. Wills and myself. He had
often before said, "I think I can see their tents ahead," and made